St Mary’s Sees Excellent Results in 2023 National Student Survey

St Mary’s University, Twickenham (SMU) has received outstanding feedback from graduating students in the 2023 National Student Survey (NSS), and is rated in the top five in London in six key themes amongst higher education providers with university status (excluding specialist providers).

SMU was rated no 1 in London for Academic Support, with a rating of 89%, and second in London for Teaching on my Course, with a rating of 88%, almost three percent above the sector average. The survey found 94% of students said that staff were good at explaining things, the top score in London, and 87% said staff made their subjects engaging.

The University was also rated in the top ten nationally and second in London for Learning Opportunities, and in the top five in London for:

• Organisation and Management (second)
• Assessment and Feedback (fifth)
• Student Voice (fifth)

Speaking of the results, St Mary’s Vice-Chancellor Anthony McClaran said, “These are fantastic results. At St Mary’s we place the experience of our students at the heart of all we do, and I am delighted to see that this has been recognised in the National Student Survey. The findings from the survey are a great endorsement of the work of our brilliant academic and professional service teams, who deliver a top-rate experience for St Mary’s students.

“I am particularly pleased to see the high response rate to the survey, which, at 11% higher than the sector average, has ensured we’re hearing the voice of as many students as possible.”

St Mary’s has seen a number of successes in recent months amongst sector rankings, climbing 25 places over the past two years in the Complete University Guide. St Mary's was also ranked in the top ten in the country on the league table for student satisfaction. In the 2023 Sunday Times Good University Guide, the University was rated in the top five nationally for teaching quality and the top ten for student experience. St Mary’s also saw its highest ever ranking on the league table, sitting in 51st place.

The University was the highest riser in the Times Higher Education Research Excellence Rankings, climbing 32 places since the previous edition. In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework, the majority of research submitted by St Mary’s was 4* World Leading or 3* Internationally Excellent in its originality, significance, and rigour. The University more than doubled its research rated by the REF in the top two three- and four-star classifications as compared to the previous research exercise in 2014.